Developmentally Appropriate Block Play

 

By J. Hendrick|P. Weissman 

http://www.education.com/reference/article/developmentally-appropriate-block-play/ 

Blocks are timeless, classic play materials that have endured as an activity through many different ideologies and theories of child development. Playing with blocks provides endless opportunity for the development of emerging perceptual-motor skills. Here is a summary of developmentally appropriate block play between infancy and age 6.

Age	What They Do	What They Learn	What They Need
Infants and Twos	Manipulate/feel blocks with hands Put blocks in mouth Reach for blocks Drop blocks repeatedly, especially if in a high chair Knock down a stack of blocks Older infants (approximately 8-12 months) will look for a hidden block Toddlers love to stack big foam blocks as high as they can and knock them down	Physical properties of objects Eye-hand coordination Lessons of gravity Cause and effect Object permanence	Lots of blocks in different shapes that they can grasp Soft vinyl-covered foam blocks that won't hurt when mouthed and can be washed after use Thin plastic or empty cereal-type boxes that can be knocked down Large, soft foam blocks for toddlers Medium-sized wood blocks in a variety of shapes and colors for toddlers
Threes and Fours	Match, group, and classify blocks by size, shape, and color Build tall stacks of blocks Build structures and roads Will start building without a design in mind, then label it afterward Make patterns with blocks Begin to use blocks in pretend play scenarios	Beginning math concepts such as matching, grouping, classification Problem solving Fine motor and gross motor control Visual-spatial relations Balance and gravity The power of their imagination Confidence in their ability to create	Lots of different types of blocks: a good set of wood unit blocks including arches, pillars, ramps, and curves; large hollow blocks; small color cubes; interlocking blocks such as bristle blocks or snap blocks Props such as play animals, people, vehicles, trees to embellish pretend play
Fives and Sixes	Build elaborate structures; cities, roadways, castles, houses, etc. Think about and plan what they intend to build Use blocks to represent real-life places and things Build structures specifically for their pretend play scenarios Tell stories about their structures Build cooperatively with others Match, group, classify, and arrange blocks in patterns	Logico-mathematical concepts including classification, seriation, number, and spatial relations How to express ideas using symbols or pretend objects Communication skills Planning, follow-through, cause and effect	Many different types of blocks and materials, including miniature multicultural people, vehicles, mechanical items (pulleys, drawbridges, inclines) Wagons, buckets, platforms Large hollow blocks Lots of space and time for building

Excerpted From:

The Whole Child: Development Education for the Early Years and Early Childhood Settings and Approaches
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Excerpt from The Whole Child: Development Education for the Early Years and Early Childhood Settings and Approaches, by J. Hendrick, P. Weissman, 2006 edition, p. 65